The Gift
by Wired Witch
Summary: After a massive explosion in engineering, Trip finds that something unbelievable has happened to him.
1. Default Chapter

TITLE: The Gift 

SUMMARY: After a massive explosion in engineering Trip finds that something unbelievable has happened to him.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing trek related. 

NOTES: This story is complete in six chapters - I will post two chapters every day, hope you enjoy. 

~~~~~~~~

"Evacuate engineering now!" Trip yelled. Alarms were sounding, things were on fire and exploding, chaos was ensuing - the warp core was overloading and there was no hope of stopping it. 

Bustles of people went for the doors, instantly dropping their tools hearing the desperate shout of their superior officer. A handful carried on working and Trip was proud but nevertheless he gave them an order. "I said evacuate, now, there's nothin we can do!" 

As the others looked on he hurried to the door with them, guessing that they wouldn't leave unless he followed. He knew Captain Archer was probably already outside, aware of the severity of the situation. As they reached the door he glanced behind then back at his team. 

There was still a chance.

Trip moved so quickly the others had no chance of doing anything to stop him. Crewman Kessa turned around just in time to see Trip hit the panel beside the door and lock himself in. "Commander Tucker!" She exclaimed, causing the others to turn. 

Archer rushed down the corridor. He saw Kessa trying to get back into engineering. "What are you doing?" He asked.

"Commander Tucker sealed himself in there! I can't get the door back open." 

Archer felt sick. He knew Trip was stubborn but stubborn enough to risk his own life? The explosion was imminent - Trip had said that himself but he and Trip were a lot alike and Jon knew that he had it in him. But there was no way he was going to let his friend do this.

"Get off this deck." He said to the others 

"But Sir...." 

"That's an order!" He shouted and went over to the com. "Trip." He called firmly. 

Inside, Tucker looked up for only a brief moment from the reactor. He knew the Captain would try to talk him out of there but there was nothing to say. Either he would fix this damn problem or he'd die trying. Preferably the former. "Trip here." He said, not slowing down for a second. 

"You want to tell me just what the hell you think you're doing?" 

"What I can." Trip said back.

"You going to be killed! This is ridiculous, you said so yourself; there's nothing you can do." 

"There's a chance, okay? There's always a chance." 

Jon paused for a moment. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm trying to reroute the power manifolds to dissipate in a circuit - " He stopped, not sure he was explaining his plan very well. "Look I don't really have time for a conversation right now Captain!" 

Archer was taken aback by his chief engineers persistence and courage. He knew full well what would happen if the reactor blew. They shouldn't just be evacuating engineering but the entire deck. Which reminded him...... "This is Captain Archer" He said on shipwide announcement. "Evacuate engineering deck, double time." 

"Bridge," He continued. "After everyone is off the engineering deck I want you to seal every door and activate emergency procedures. Understood?"

"Yes sir." T'Pol's voice replied. "Captain, our scans show someone still inside engineering." She stated, wanting an explanation.

"I know T'Pol. Commander Tucker has sealed himself inside. He's trying to stop the explosion."

On the bridge there wasn't a single crew member this statement didn't affect in some way. Hoshi, Reed and Travis stopped what they were doing instantly and glared at T'Pol as if she'd given the message herself. 

T'Pol for a brief moment admired the Commander's boldness but this was quickly replaced by 'a completely unnecessary risk.'

"Captain, Commander Tucker is choosing to put his own life in peril. You must get off that deck or you are risking your own life in vain." She tried, ever the voice of reason. 

"What's the counter at?" Archer asked. 

"Just passed two minutes Captain." Reed interjected failing to keep the concern and panic from his voice. 

Archer did not respond. He switched the com to engineering. "Trip, what's your status?" 

Inside engineering Trip's hand shook which was not helping him complete the task at hand. And the task at hand didn't look like it was going to work. But the man working furiously at in the otherwise deserted room had no time for the thought of failing to enter his mind. 

He barely acknowledged the call of his Captain over the com until it came a second time. 

"Trip, listen to me, whatever you're doing there is *no time*. You have to get out of there right now." 

"No, no I can do it. I just have to...." Trip trailed off, losing himself in the situation.

"Trip don't do this to me, you are not going to die in there, get out!!!"

Charlie Tucker finally saw that his efforts had failed. "Okay...okay, I'm coming....." He breathed. The noise from the impending explosion was building up and he hadn't noticed it getting so loud. He stumbled back and took one final look at the room. 

"Move!" Jon shouted. Through the small window in the door Archer watched Trip take two steps backwards. He had been mentally counting and there couldn't be more than 20 seconds left. 

Trip never reached the ladder. Things were exploding around him. A plague of realisation swarmed over him. He was going to die. His lips parted slightly and his gaze stayed forward. In his own mind there was silence. "Oh god...." He breathed, so quietly it was barely a whisper. 

"TRIP!!!" Archer cried out as he saw a sea of fire erupt in the room, enveloping everything in it's path. Acting on instincts Jon started to run. The sound was deafening and it was this that caused Archer to fall to the ground and shield his face with his arm. 

The entire ship rocked and everyone held onto something, along with their breath. In moments that seemed to stretch time, it was over. Minor alarms went off on the bridge but no-one was interested. They wanted to know what happened. 

***END of CHAPTER ONE***


	2. Chapter 2

(Disclaimer in chapter one)

Chapter Two 

Jonathon Archer waited for the noise and commotion to stop. When it did, he lifted his head. He didn't want to even turn around, but he did. He didn't want to see an empty corridor behind him, but he did. And he didn't want to call the bridge and tell them he was okay, and be a Captain during a crisis, but he did. 

The explosion had been huge but it seemed to have been confined to engineering. Somehow this fact did not comfort him. Archer managed to overwrite Trip's lock on the door controls. When it opened a wave of searing heat hit him. Smoke filled the room and fires still burned. 

He had to protect his face from the heat with his arm. "Trip?" He called. There was still a chance that he could have survived. Stumbling down the ladder (Which was burned black and still hot) he burnt his hands but he couldn't care right now. 

"Captain!" Came a reply. The wash of relief that Archer felt was undescribable. Trip had survived! Unbelievable! He must be lying hurt somewhere.... Archer tried to shout again but coughed instead. The smoke was making his eyes water. "Where are you?" He called hoarsely. 

Jon managed to open his eyes wider than a squint and scanned the room. He saw Trip standing (Standing?!) in pretty much the same position he was standing in when Archer had seen him last. He was standing pretty damn close to a fire but he didn't seem to be coughing or even feeling the heat. He didn't look injured at all..... 

A team of crewmen (including T'Pol, Mayweather and the Doctor) were outside engineering in minutes. Instead of Archer carrying Trip's dead body out of engineering, it was Tucker who had his arm round the Captain. 

To say the crewmen looked confused would be acutely accurate. The Doctor went first to the Captain, the seemingly more injured of the two. Most of the other crewmen went into engineering to put out the fires and generally control the damage. 

Travis went over to Trip. "Trip, you got out okay?" He said, hugely relieved that no-one (as far as he knew) had been killed by the explosion.

"No...." Trip said. This puzzled Mayweather. 

"Are you hurt?" He asked. Perhaps the Commander meant he got out but wasn't okay.

"No, I'm......absolutely fine....." The other breathed. "I'm going to sickbay with the Cap'n." He said. He wanted to see if Jonathon was alright. Travis watched him go. *He must be confused, in shock or something.* He thought, and went to help the others inside. 

Sickbay.

"Is he alright?" Trip said as soon as he entered the room. 

"Aside from a lot of bumps and bruises and some smoke inhalation he should be fine." Phlox told him. "I heard you were in the vicinity." He added. 

In the vicinity. An understatement. In, on, around and at the vicinity was more like it. "I was there." Trip said bluntly.

"Are you alright?" Phlox asked, on first noticing the rather severe burns on the Commanders uniform. 

"I'm fine." 

Phlox stared at him a little longer than usual then continued to look over Archer. T'Pol entered at that point. Before she could ask, Phlox answered. "He'll be fine." 

Jon stirred and coughed nastily, drawing the attention of the others in the room. "How you feelin' Cap'n?" Trip asked immediately. 

"I could ask you the same thing." He said, sitting up on the bed. He looked over Trip. Apart from his clothes being converted to nothing more than black rags, he didn't appear to be hurt at all. "You were in that room when.....you should be dead." 

"Sorry to disappoint you." Trip laughed halfheartedly. He was in actual fact dazed by the whole situation and couldn't quite get over the fact that he had lived - and didn't have a scratch on him. 

"You were in the room when the overload occurred?" T'Pol queried. "You could not have survived." She said matter-of-factly. 

"Well.....here I am." He laughed again, disconcerted.

The doctor turned to Trip and scanned him up and down. He was silent for a moment while he looked at the results. "No burns, no bruises. No scratches, no grazes. Mr Tucker you are in perfect health." He paused for another moment. He had felt the ship jolt all the way from sickbay. It was no small explosion. "Are you sure you were in engineering when the explosion occurred?" He asked casually.

"He was there." Archer stated. 

"Yeah I was there." Trip reiterated, less sure of himself.

"You could not have come from that room unharmed." T'Pol told him. 

"You don't have to tell me!" Trip voice bordered on a shout. He was aware of the facts and couldn't even begin understand them himself. 

"Alright, alright, enough. The most important thing is no-one was killed. Now we need to fix this ship if we ever want to move anywhere again. Trip you up to it?"

"Of course." Trip replied. "I'd like to change first though." He indicated.

"Permission granted." Archer smirked. 

~~~~~~~~

Later, in the charred scrap heap that used to be engineering, Trip and the team of engineers were surveying the damage. Trip was in a world of his own. He was standing in the place he'd been standing the moment the engines exploded. It was less than five metres from them. 

How could that be? Maybe he wasn't standing there. Maybe he was out of his head with panic, or fear. "Commander Tucker?" Someone called. 

Trip snapped out of his trance. He turned to the female officer next to him. She handed him a pad and walked off. He looked over the data and sighed. It was going to take a hell of a lot of time and effort to get things even to a satisfactory level. "Is there anything in this room that is working?" He mumbled. 

He didn't realise the Captain was standing behind him. "The door seems to work." Jon's voice arose. Trip spun around. 

"Cap'n. Didn't see you there. You feelin' better?"

"Just some smoke inhalation. I'll be fine." Jon held his gaze.

"I know what you're thinkin' and I can't believe it either." 

"I sure as hell can't come up with an explanation. Perhaps we were witness to a miracle today." He grinned. Trip reflected it. Trip didn't really believe it that sort of thing.

"Probably just luck."

~~~~~~~

That night Trip couldn't sleep. But it wasn't because of any 'emotional stress' that he was feeling. He simply wasn't tired. When Trip first noticed this, he realised he wasn't hungry or thirsty either.

Instead of worrying about this sudden onset of symptoms, he used the time and energy to finish some of the work that had been piling up. After all, he'd have a hell of a lot more tomorrow. 

***END of CHAPTER TWO***


	3. Chapter 3

(Disclaimer in chapter one)

Chapter Three

A WEEK LATER

Things were more or less running smoothly. The engineering team had been working full time to repair all the damage done. Everyone was still talking about Trip and the alleged 'miracle' of how he'd survived the explosion. And because everyone else wouldn't forget it, neither could Trip. This was accompanied by the fact that Trip hadn't slept at all since the incident. It wasn't insomnia - he just didn't need to sleep. 

He didn't even need to eat or drink, but he did so anyway. If he didn't people might get suspicious. Think something was wrong. Was it?

Trip had never felt better - physically anyway. Emotionally he was still getting things staright in his head. He had avoided the Doctor like a plague. He didn't want anyone else to know what was going on until he did himself. 

So he tried as best he could to concentrate on his work. Engineering was looking better. Today was the day all the final touches were to be done.

"Sir?" Someone called Trip. He turned to see crewman Kessa. She had become quite taken with Trip since his show of bravery. Which made her boyfriend quite jealous. "Ensign Leeman needs your help in the shafts." She beamed. Trip smiled wearily back and went to see Leeman. 

"Commander, I was trying to replace these cables that burnt out but I can't remove them unless I can stop the power flow." The man said.

"And you can't stop the power flow?"

"No Sir."

"Weren't these supposed to be replaced before we brought the power back online?"

"Yes Sir, that's my fault, I missed this section when I was replacing the others."

"That's alright, we all make mistakes." Trip assured. The crewman looked relieved. "Okay..." He thought to himself, trying to think of a way to replace the cables without turning off the power. If they did it would set them back at least two days and this was pretty stupid all for the sake of a few cables.

"I guess there's too much power going through them to just yank em out huh?" Leeman said. Trip laughed. He and Leeman's personalities were alike which was why they got on well. 

"Unless you want to take flying lessons across the room, I don't think so." Trip smirked back. "Alright let's go back to basics, find me something that won't conduct so we can pull em out." 

"Sir." Leeman acknowledged and left.

Trip looked at the wires. Then something strange came over him. A thought came into his head that was totally bizarre. *Just grab them. It won't hurt.* And without another thought, he did just that. No-one saw Trip grab the wires and pull them easily from the wall. A few sparks flew about but the job was done. And Trip hadn't felt a thing.

Leeman returned with a tool. He saw that the chief engineer had already solved the problem. "Guess you won't be needing this then." He said chirpily, holding up the tool he'd found. "Er, are you alright Sir?" He said more seriously on seeing the fellow engineers expression. 

"Yeah." Trip replied after a while. "Yeah I'm fine. Uh, I'll let you get back to work." He added, and left the enclosed area. Leeman looked after his superior then around the floor for what Trip used to solve the problem. There were no tools at all. *He must have solved it some other way.* He thought and carried on working. 

~~~~~~

Trip left engineering hurriedly. There was something he had to find out. On his way back to his quarters he stopped by the mess hall. It wasn't very crowded, only two or three people were there. Good. 

Trip looked around to check to see if anyone could see him. They were all engrossed in conversation. He subtly picked up a clean knife, slid it up his sleeve and left. 

Back in his quarters finally, Trip pulled out the knife and rolled up his sleeve. *Wait a minute.....what the hell am I doing?!* He suddenly thought, as if seeing himself from across the room. Then another voice at the back of his mind came forward. *It won't hurt. Go ahead.* 

And then he did it. 

The new instinctual voice told him it wouldn't hurt if he dug the knife into his arm. So he did it. Trip lunged the blade into his arm - but to his astonishment (and at the same time it was no surprise at all) it wouldn't penetrate the skin. No matter how hard he pressed, his skin remained intact. This was unbelievable. He could *feel* the blade but it didn't hurt at all. 

Engineering. The explosion. He'd survived without a scratch on him when that was impossible. Then the cables. *When did this happen?* He thought. *No, why? How???* 

Then his mind flashed back to three weeks ago. 

~~~~~~~

Enterprise was checking out a pre-warp civilisation on a planet called R'mar. The away team composed of Trip, Archer, T'Pol and Hoshi. Since they decided not to make their presence 'known' as it were, they'd been given makeovers by Phlox to make them look like the inhabitants. The Doctor seemed to enjoy this thoroughly last time he was asked to do such a thing and was thrilled to do it again. This time they had dark ridges either side of their noses and had to wear contacts. 

Trip remembered getting separated from the others in a crowd. Because they weren't supposed to be seen, he couldn't use the communicator in public so he'd ducked into an alley. 

Trip looked left, then right. No-one was there. But when he looked up once more he saw a woman standing close. Where had she come from? 

"I know who you are. You don't have to deny it." She said in a raspy whisper. Trip wasn't sure what to think. "I've seen the future."

*Great.* Trip thought. *I run into a crazy alien when I'm completely alone.*

"I know you don't believe me Trip, but I'm going to do you a great favour."

*Okay, so she knows my name. And that's supposed to impress me? Might as well humour her.* "And what would that be?"

"You'll know soon enough." She said, then abruptly snatched up Trip's hand and washed something over it. It stung for a second, then the pain was gone. And so was she. 

"Trip, are you there?" Hoshi's voice shouted down the alley. 

"Right here Hoshi." He called, and gave one last look up the alley and one last thought to the woman's words. 

~~~~~~~

This was ridiculous. The knife is just blunt. What happened in engineering was just....fluke. Luck maybe. Nothing more.

A voice said "Commander Tucker those new weapons are ready to be tested, whenever you're ready Sir." and pulled the engineer from his reminiscent state. It was Lieutenant Reed. He and Trip were supposed to be testing the brand new hand held phase weapons. Trip saw that he was late. Reed was probably being impatiently polite. "I'll be right down Lieutenant." Trip replied, the revelations still pounding in his head.

***END of CHAPTER THREE***


	4. Chapter 4

(Disclaimer in chapter one)

Chapter Four

"Alright, I'm here Lieutenant. Let's get started." Trip said when he entered. Reed looked like he'd been dying to try out the weapons. That fascination with them was shining through once again. "How many of these do we have to look at?"

"We got a shipment of twenty. They look amazing." Reed said like he was in love with them. Trip would have smiled and made some joke but his mind was otherwise occupied. Reed remembered something. "Damn it....I forgot the scanning equipment. I'll be back in a moment Sir." 

Trip had nothing to do but wait. He picked up one of the weapons and looked it over. Pretty stylish. Light, easy to handle. Then Trip's chain of thought changed rapidly. Three separate incidences screamed at him that something wasn't right. The explosion, the cables and the knife. Then there was the lack of sleep, hunger and thirst. Something was most definitely up and Trip wanted to find out what, once and for all. 

So what about a definitive test? That little voice returned. *Shoot. Pull the trigger.*

Slowly Trip turned the weapon towards him...then threw it to the side. *What the hell is wrong with me?!* Maybe it was time to tell someone or see Phlox at least. But the voice in the back of his head had other ideas and before Trip knew what he was doing, he pulled the trigger on the gun to his chest. Just as Reed walked in. 

Trip sat on the table bemused. The phase blast had merely tickled him. It was at that point he noticed Reed. Had he seen? It sure as hell looked like it. He was standing in the doorway, mouth open and eyes wide. In an otherwise less incriminating situation it would have been funny. 

"Weapons must be, uh, faulty." Trip stammered. 

"Commander....you just shot yourself." Reed managed to get out. There were so many things wrong with what he'd just seen (and said). 

Trip got off the table and turned away pretending to look over the other weapons. "Maybe it's just this one. The others might work."

"Do you plan on shooting yourself with those as well?" 

Trip sighed. There was no way he was going to talk his away out of this. "Alright Malcolm, I'll tell you what's going on but you have to let me deal with it alright?" Reed just stared. Trip was about to explain then stopped. What was he supposed to say? 'Surprise! I'm invincible!'

"Okay, you remember the explosion last week in engineering?" Trip started.

"Hard to forget." Reed confirmed.

"You musta heard all those rumours about some miracle happening because I survived right?" 

"Yes Sir but I don't see how that relates to...."

"I'm gettin to it Malcolm. Well it's been what, a week now? I haven't slept at all. I haven't had to eat or drink for the whole week!" Reed was still staring. *Oh great, I sound like I'm on the edge or something.* Trip thought.

"And I survived without a scratch on me that day. A coupla hours ago I was in engineering again and I yanked out some cables in the shafts when the power was on. And just now? Well, you saw." 

"Commander this all sounds a little...."

"Far-fetched? Tell me about it. But remember when we were on R'Mar and I got separated? Well I met this woman who was going on about seeing into the future and she knew who I was. Then she put some kind of substance on my hand. Then she disappeared when you guys found me. I didn't think anything of it until now." 

Reed was positively baffled. He was looking at Trip like he was a patient in an asylum. But the more he thought over what he'd said, the more it made sense. Reed had also overheard two crewmen mentioning something about Trip, wires and something being 'really weird' earlier. But what did all that mean? 

"Look I really don't know what's happening to me but I have to find out. Since you know as much as I do now, I want you to go and get some medical scanners from Phlox. But don't let him know what's going on."

"I don't know what's going on anyway." Reed said under his breath. Then he spoke aloud. "Commander I can't steal supplies from the Doctor." 

"Not stealing, borrowing without the owners knowledge and it's an order not a request."

Malcolm sighed. "Yes Sir."

~~~~~~~~

Ten minutes later Reed returned. He'd lied to Phlox and said he was going to test the equipment. "Why can't you test it here?" Phlox had said. Then Malcolm made up something about it being procedure to test all the equipment in one place. It sounded pathetic but the doctor seemed to buy it.

"Are you reading anything out of the ordinary?" 

"I'll say." Reed muttered to himself. 

"Well what is it?" 

"Nothing."

"Come on, tell me."

"No, I mean I'm not reading anything. The scanners can't seem to read anything from you at all. It's like you're not here."

"Well my being here would contradict that, don't you think?"

"I know Sir but it doesn't change the fact that they're not reading you." 

"But last week Phlox scanned me and said I was fine." 

"After the explosion?"

"Yeah."

"And he didn't find anything odd then?"

"No, I was fine."

"Perhaps whatever is happening to you is progressing. You said you haven't slept or eaten? Was that gradual? I mean, since R'Mar?" Malcolm asked.

"Yeah. Most of this seemed to happen after the explosion. But the sleep thing, that was gradual."

"Fascinating." Reed exclaimed, still looking at the blank scanning device.

"Right." 

"Sir, maybe we should tell the Captain about this...." 

"No, not yet." Trip said quickly. "I mean it, don't tell anyone."

***END of CHAPTER FOUR***


	5. Chapter 5

(Disclaimer in chapter one)

Chapter Five

Later that day Reed had a shift on the bridge and Trip was back at work. Archer was roaming the ship on a surprise inspection. It wasn't really an inspection, he'd just gotten bored in his quarters with nothing to do. He reached engineering and decided to go and see Trip. 

"Everything going alright?" He asked. 

Trip almost jumped out of his skin. For a moment he'd thought Archer noticed something wrong, but then he drifted back to reality and realised the Captain was only asking about work. "Yup." He said cheerfully. "Everythin's almost back to normal. Just the minor stuff to do now." 

"Good work. I guess you'll some serious rest after this huh?"

*Rest. Huh, right.* "I guess so."

"Oh by the way what did you think of the new weapons?" 

Trip's expression was blank. 

"The new weapons you tested with Lieutenant Reed?"

"Oh, those. Uh, we didn't get round to testing them yet." 

"I thought you did it earlier?"

"Nope." Trip replied. Then it dawned on him that Archer probably knew where he was earlier. "Uh, we just looked over them. We'll test them later.

"Okay." Jon agreed, a little confused, and went about his wandering. 

~~~~~~~

The next day Trip and Reed went to sickbay when they were sure Phlox was in the mess hall. He'd just sat down to eat so they should have at least fifteen minutes. But they might as well have not gone in the first place. 

All the equipment in there couldn't tell anything about Trip at all. None of the scanners could tell he was even there. 

"This could really come in handy on those risky away mission. Or when we run into aliens who want to kill us." Trip said casually (like aliens wanting to kill them was a regular occurrence - which it was.)

"I don't think this is a laughing matter." Reed said, trying another scan. 

"What *do* you think it is?" Trip insisted. 

"I think extraordinary sums it up." Reed responded. "When were you planning to tell the Captain?"

"I'm not going to tell him. Or anyone else."

"But Trip you can't keep this a secret from Archer" Malcolm said, ceasing the scan. (Another failure) "Even if you wanted to he'll find out somehow. What happens if you get hurt and Phlox has to scan you?"

"Uh, you might want to think of another example. I don't think I'll be getting hurt any time soon."

"Well what if someone shoots you when someone else is watching. How are you going to explain that?"

"I've talked my way out of a helluva lot of situations. Besides, whatever I come up with it'll be more believable than 'Hey, I'm invulnerable, get over it.'"

Reed sighed. "Nothing on this scan either." He said, seeing he couldn't talk Trip out of keeping the secret. "We should go. Phlox'll be back soon."

Since Trip didn't have any work to be getting on with (All those hours he normally spent sleeping went into doing reports and diagnostics), he went to go and eat something. 

In the mess hall Hoshi was sitting on her own so he decided to join her. She was engrossed in a pad with patterns (presumably an alien language) on and didn't notice the two him down. 

"Mind if I join you?" Trip asked.

"Oh" She said, a little startled. "Uh, go ahead." 

"What are you doing?" Trip asked. 

"I've been cataloguing the R'Mar language in my spare time - not that I have a lot of that these day. It's taking forever." She answered. "Honestly I don't think I could handle the amount of work you do Commander." 

"Time management Ensign. It's all about time management." 

~~~~~~~

Another three days passed. All the time Trip had on his hands was getting boring. He couldn't get up and walk around the ship or people might start to notice something. He still wasn't sure whether to tell Archer. If everyone found out he was sure they'd start treating him differently, like he was some kind of freak. Maybe he could just tell Archer and no-one else....

So Trip decided to let Jon know about everything. It was the least he could do after so many years of friendship. He set off for the Archer's quarters. 

~~~~~~~

"Trip, I was just about to get you up here. We've encountered an apparently abandoned ship in the wake of a comet. Looks like it's been there a good few years. T'Pol thinks it could have come from galaxies away." 

"Sounds interesting" Trip enthused, forgetting why he was there. "Are we going over?" 

"Malcolm's prepping a shuttle as we speak, care to join us?"

"Let's go." Trip grinned. 

~~~~~~~

From the viewscreen the ship was in two sections, joined by two parallel cylinders. Inside, the ship was fairly dingy, only illuminated by green light. The decor looked like a factory of some kind. The floors were grates that enabled you to see right through to the lower levels. The air was breathable so no problem there. T'Pol, Archer, Hoshi and Reed among others were in the away team. 

"Alright I want you to spilt into pairs and take a look around. Keep in contact. Trip you're with me." Archer ordered everyone. It didn't take long for everyone to pair off. Reed went with Hoshi, T'Pol went with an Ensign who was on his first away mission (so Archer thought it best.) When everyone else had gone Archer and Trip made their way towards the lower levels. 

"Why do you think everyone left?" Trip asked.

"I'm not sure. The ship's in perfect working order so it can't have just been abandoned."

"Maybe they upgraded." Trip joked. "I can't wait to take a look at the engines." 

"The scans showed technology even the Vulcans haven't seen before." 

"I hope I get to see the look on their faces when Starfleet gives em the good news."

"You and me both." Archer laughed. He headed down to the shuttle bay, closely followed by Trip, unaware of anything amiss. 

  
  


***END of CHAPTER FIVE***


	6. Conclusion

(Disclaimer in chapter one)

Chapter Six

T'Pol and Ensign Bates had found what appeared to be the room where the ship's weapons were operated. Bates was ecstatic about being on his first mission and kept looking around with an expression of awe in his face. 

"These weapons look complex." He beamed. 

"Judging from the decor of ship I believe the weapons are probably not much more superior to our own."

"But you can't tell that from looking at the ship. Maybe I can get a diagram up, see how they work." Bates said and started pressing buttons on a panel. T'Pol grabbed his hand. 

"I suggest you refrain from touching anything. You don't know what you could do." 

"Sorry." Too late. Alarms started to go off. "Oh my god, did I do that?" The Ensign panicked.

"I can't tell. The alarms appear to be going off all over the ship." T'Pol said, stepping out of the room. 

"Archer here, anyone know what that is?" The Captain said over the com. Several replies came back 'No Sir'. 

A voice echoed around the whole whip. It was an alien language. On one of the central decks Reed looked at Hoshi who was muttering something under her breath and tapping on the translator. Reed only caught a few phrases 'Sounds like.....or maybe a derivation of.....could be....'

Finally she held the com to her mouth. "Captain the voice saying 'Core overload, abandon ship.'" 

That was never good.

"Wait, now it's saying something about 'Separation'?"

"I don't like the sound of either of those things. Everyone get back to the shuttles now." The Captain ordered. 

"Damn I was just startin' to enjoy myself." Trip said as he and Archer made their way back to the shuttle. At that point it was like an earthquake hit. Everyone hit the ground awkwardly.

"Which side of the ship are we on?" Jon shouted to Trip. 

"I'm not sure, why?" 

"I think the ship is separating, and if I'm right the shuttles are on the other side." 

"Enterprise to away team, what's your status Captain?" Travis' voice sounded. "The ship is dividing" 

"We noticed Travis!" Archer yelled back. The shaking reduced to a low rumbling but the alarm was replaced by an even more urgent one. Reed and Hoshi came round the corner. 

"Captain. I think the others got back the shuttle but we're on the wrong side of the ship." 

"Mayweather to Captain Archer" 

"Go ahead"

"Sir T'Pol and the others are ready to leave but she said you're on the other side of ship." 

"Tell T'Pol to get to the second shuttle and come round to the other side - " Travis cut him off. 

"Sir your side of the ship has been pushed into the centre of the comet's wake by the separation, the shuttle won't be able to reach you."

The voice on the ship spoke again. The others looked at Hoshi. "I think it's saying...." Sato looked alarmed. "It's saying 'Explosion imminent'." 

Trip could have laughed. Did danger follow him around or something? 

"Wait, it's saying something else. 'Something...levels high in the reactor, bring back, no, uh, bring down immediately'. " She corrected. 

"Okay, well, where's the reactor?"

"We found a map earlier, I saw the reactor room on it, it's the deck below us."

The four panicked crew ran down the stairs and came upon a door. "This is it." Hoshi said. She recognised the symbols from the map on the door.

"Can you get the door open?" 

Hoshi looked at the panel next to the door. It was something to hear a language and understand it, but it was a while other story reading it. She saw a button that was blank, with no writing around it. She pressed it. *What did they have to lose?* and a localised voice came from nowhere. More alien language. "It says something about radiation, maybe, I'm not sure it could be just another warning."

"Okay Ensign we get the idea. Someone has to go in there. It's our only chance." Jon said. 

"But if there is radiation it'd be a suicide mission...." 

Trip's ears pricked up. "Let me go." 

"You already risked you're life to save Enterprise, I couldn't ask you to do it again. I'll go."

"But Cap'n there's really no need for you to - " 

"You have another idea?"

"Well, not exactly but....."

"Then why shouldn't I go?"

Trip struggled for what to say. 

"Trip, tell me what's going on." Archer waited. 

Trip still couldn't think. 

"Hoshi open the door." Jon ordered.

"Captain hold on a second." He was planning on telling Archer anyway, and now was a good a time as any. 

Archer turned around and Trip looked at Reed. "Malcolm, shoot me." 

"Are you sure Sir?" Reed replied. 

Jon and Hoshi were taken aback the bizarre question - and response for that matter.

"Sure." Trip assured the Lieutenant. Reed held up his gun and before Jon knew what was going on, he fired. 

"What are you doing?!" Came Archer's instinctual reaction as he disarmed Reed. 

"Cap'n it's okay."

"What the hell is going on here?" *Crewmen shooting other crewman ? Trip not even wounded by a phase blast?!* 

"There's not much time. Explosion imminent remember? Get to the higher decks, if there is radiation as soon as the doors open it'll leak. Just trust me."

Words wouldn't form in Archer's mouth. In a blaze of confusion he, Hoshi and Reed climbed the nearest ladder to the higher levels. 

When Trip was sure the others were safe he opened the door and stepped into the room. There was no way to know if there was radiation in the room. *Well this was a great idea. What the hell do I do now?* He thought, acknowledging that he was on an alien ship with alien engines and alien text splattered all over the place. 

A panel across the room was flashing blue. *Well it's a start* He mused as he ran over to it. On the panel there was a rectangle shape that looked kind of like a thermometer. It was 'filled' almost to the top. The shape was flashing. The symbols above it looked the same as the ones on the door to the room. Theoretically it said 'Reactor - something'. Temperature? 

The first thing that entered Trip's head was to hit the buttons on the same panel randomly. Nothing happened. 

"Trip, how are you doing?" Reed said over the com. The moment was strangely reminiscent of that fateful day in engineering, ever embedded in his memory. 

"Pretty good considering I don't now what the hell I'm doin'! I've tried every button on this panel but none of em make the temperature gage go down." Trip somehow knew that this panel was the one he needed to be at, but nothing was working. 

"What about the gage itself?" Hoshi's voice said.

"What?"

"Try running your finger down the gage, see what that does." She replied. 

Trip did just that. The change was instantaneous. The alarms ceased and the lights stopped flashing. The alien voice sounded once more, then Hoshi said over the com "Sir it say explosion prevented. Levels normal." Trip couldn't see the others, but he knew they were smiling. 

~~~~~~

Everyone was safely back onboard. Enterprise had used the grapnels to pull the ship from the comet's wake enough to rescue the Captain and the others. 

First thing was first, Trip was sent straight to the medical room. Archer was tying things up in the bridge. Reed was in the sickbay with Trip and Phlox.

"No signs of radiation at all. Your still in perfect health." The chirpy doctor told his patient, who stepped from the decontamination chamber when he heard the news. 

"Thanks Doc." 

Phlox went over to the other side of the room and started putting bottles away. 

"Commander, I've just realised." Malcolm abruptly exclaimed. "Phlox was able to scan you....."

"Yeah?"

"Well whatever made you invulnerable has worn off...."

Trip smiled slightly. After Reed shot him on the alien ship, he'd felt suddenly different. He was tired, thirsty and hungrier than ever before. He knew it right there and then. 

Whatever he once had, it left him at that moment. For whatever reason he had been given a gift. And for whatever reason he had lost it. But he didn't regret a thing. 

"You could have been killed!" Reed said, stunned. 

"How about that......" Trip smiled and walked away. 

***~~~**END~**~~~***

Thank you for reading and reviewing, I hope you enjoyed the story! 


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